The present invention generally relates to devices for marking written or pictorial materials that may be deemed important to a person viewing such materials. In particular, the present invention relates to a writing instrument that incorporates a sheet material dispenser within the body of the writing instrument, for individually dispensing sheet material formed in a stack.
In the course of reviewing and studying printed materials, it is common for individuals to write marginal notes, underline text and even highlight portions deemed important. College or university students, for example, commonly use highlighter pens and/or colored pens or pencils to aid in reading and studying course materials. Locating particular such marked-up passages, however, often may require a search of several similarly marked-up pages. One product that facilitates locating a particular page or section of a page is a tape flag, such as those manufactured by 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn. under the trademark Post-it® flags. A typical manner of packaging sheet material formed in a stack and adhered together with a releasable adhesive layer along alternating opposing edges, e.g., in a Z-fold manner is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,320, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Various other dispensable sheet material stacks are known in the art, including those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,416,392, 4,781,306, and 5,417,345, which are incorporated herein by reference. For ease and convenience of access to both a writing instrument and tape flags or the like, it would be beneficial to house both in a single, easy to carry unit that is also not unattractive nor unpleasing to the professional eye.